The Dog Days of Okami Amaterasu
by DayDreamer95
Summary: Take a journey back in time, back to the distant past, to the dog days of Okami Amaterasu! Find out the many secrets of Ammy's mysterious past! Where did she really come from? Read to find out! **WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!** And don't forget to review!
1. New Life

I told you I'd be writing another one! Well, here it is! Now we shall unravel the mystery that is Amaterasu's past. Keep in mind that Shiranui is Amaterasu's 100-year old incarnation. This is a story that dates back to the time when Shiranui was born. Don't forget to read and review! Especially review! Please?_**

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Chapter 1: New Life

_A lost soul wanders aimlessly, searching for another life, another body. It seeks the chance to reincarnate, and live again. The soul—that of a long-dead deity—finally finds what she seeks. She prepares to enter the world of the living again, ready to start anew . . ._

o~*~o

"Breathe. It's okay, Kinkou, just breathe. You can get through this."

A young wolf named Mizuki spoke soothing words of comfort to her friend. Kinkou, a wolf with fur like spun gold, lay on her side, her breathing ragged and uneven. She let out a pained howl as another contraction came. She was in labor, and she did not know what to do, as this was her first time.

Mizuki, her old friend, was there to help her through it. "That's it. You're doing good, Kinkou," she said. "Now push!" Kinkou did so, crying out as the pain intensified. And then, just like that, it was over. The cry of a tiny newborn wolf cub filled the air. A new life was born.

There was just one pup, as wolves of the Moon Tribe produced only one child, sometimes two, not a litter. That is that way it had always been within the pack of wolves living side-by-side with the people of the Lunar Civilization.

The new mother looked down at her pup, smiling. It was then she noticed that this was no average wolf cub. Wolves of the Moon Tribe have always been proud of their golden fur—each wolf was different, though, varying in shades from light blonde to dark amber—but this little wolf did not have gold fur. Instead, it was white. Pure white, like freshly fallen snow. Kinkou pondered about this for a second, but then decided that that was not important. All that mattered was that this pup was hers, and nobody else's.

Mizuki—whose fur was a lighter color than Kinkou's, whom possessed a coat of fur that was the color of pure gold, enviable among many—also looked down at the tiny pup, eyes wide with awe. "But . . . that's . . . How is that . . . It can't be!" she said, so flustered she couldn't even complete her thoughts.

"I don't know," Kinkou said, "but I think it's a miracle." She licked the pup—_her_ pup—clean, proud to be the mother of this unique wolf. "She's special."

"What are you going to name her?"

"Hmm . . ." Kinkou thought for a moment. Then she came up with the perfect name. "Shiranui. She will be called Shiranui."

"Why _that_ name?" Mizuki asked, confused as to why Kinkou would pick that name. To her, it didn't sound all that good.

"It's the name of an old goddess, one I've heard of before in stories. I think it's perfect for her because I believe that she's a gift from the gods."

"Okay. Whatever you say."

Kinkou and Mizuki emerged from the small den they had been holed up in, puppy in tow. All the other members of the pack gathered around them, eager to meet the newest addition. But when they saw that white fur of hers, many backed away, shocked and dismayed. Whispers and murmurs spread across the crowd.

"What's with that pup?"

"Her fur is white! What sort of Lunar wolf has white fur?"

"Is it a demon?"

"_What_ is going on here?"

The wolves instantly fell silent. Rinmari, the alpha female, walked up. The wolves obediently bowed to her as she passed. Her fur, a deep, dark amber, sharply contrasted with her piercing icy-blue eyes. That was another trait most Lunar wolves shared—blue eyes of varying shades. Kinkou met Rinmari's gaze fearlessly, her beautiful cobalt eyes sparkling. Mizuki looked on nervously, her sky-blue eyes glittering with worry.

Rinmari looked at the tiny pup that Kinkou carried gently with her teeth with disgust. "And what is that _thing_?" she asked disdainfully, her voice seething with hatred.

Kinkou glared at Rinmari, anger in her azure eyes. Handing the helpless pup to Mizuki, she said, "This _thing_ happens to be my _child_, and you have no right to say such things about her."

Rinmari did not care about this. "And why not? That thing is clearly not a Lunar wolf. Look at that dreadful fur! It is _not_ one of us, nor will it ever be."

Kinkou now started to growl. She was getting fed up with Rinmari's nonsense. "She may or may not be one of us, but I know that she's a gift from the heavens, and I ask that you back off."

Now it was Rinmari's turn to growl. The nerve of that wolf! How dare she tell Rinmari, leader of the Lunar Pack, what to do? "Now listen here—"

"Break it up, ladies."

The quarreling wolves stopped in their tracks. Up came Hiroshi, the alpha male of the pack. Having heard all the commotion, he was here to put a stop to it. As one of the only males in the Lunar Pack, it was mainly his job to act as peacemaker, halting catfights wherever they may erupt.

"H-Hiroshi, darling," Rinmari stammered, unsettled by his appearance. Though she is the leader of the pack, Hiroshi was still her mate, and that meant she still had to listen to him. And he had told her specifically not to pick fights. Her tone was immediately contrite, like that of a child that had done something bad. "I-I . . . I'm sorry, honey."

"That's okay, sweetie," Hiroshi said, ever so gracious and forgiving. "But what is going on here? What's all the hubbub about?"

Fury rose up in Rinmari again at the mere thought of that wolf and her demon child. "That wolf . . . Kinkou, I believe it was. Her child, or whatever it is . . . it's not normal."

"Not normal? Now, what can you possibly mean by that?" His tone was cynical and condescending, a smile playing on his lips. It wasn't the first time Rinmari had gotten worked up over what usually is nothing at all.

"What do I mean?" she snapped. "Just look at it! Can't you tell? It's a demon in disguise!"

Hiroshi examined the pup in question. "Well, well," he said, intrigued. "What do you know? A white wolf cub." He then turned back to face Rinmari. "That is unique, for sure, but I don't think it's a demon. Just look at that lovely white fur! If anything, this is a pup from heaven above."

Rinmari huffed out her frustration. She hated being treated like a child, and she absolutely despised being wrong. But she wasn't going to fight him. She promised she wouldn't. Hiroshi walked away and Rinmari reluctantly followed.

"I just don't get that wolf," Kinkou remarked as she watched the alpha wolves leave.

After passing the tiny Shiranui back to Kinkou, Mizuki replied, "Me, either."

o~*~o

Kinkou settled down in her spacious den, her little pup sleeping soundly next to her. Just then, Kinkou's perceptive ears picked up a sound—a rustle in the bushes nearby. She started to get up when she heard it again.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she called cautiously to the empty walls of the cave. Another rustle in the bushes came as a reply. Kinkou caught a familiar scent—this person belonged to the Moon Tribe. A friend. Her voice became gentler as she called out again. "It's okay. You can come out. I won't hurt you."

A set of eyes peered up out of the bushes, the top of their blond head showing. The eyes—a light silvery-blue color—seemed fearful and apprehensive.

Kinkou used an even gentler tone, practically whispering as she repeated, "It's okay. I won't hurt you."

Finally, the person emerged from the bushes. It was a young boy of about 8 years. He was clearly from the Lunar Civilization, what with his blond hair and blue eyes. But it was uncommon to see human visitors around these parts. For the most part, the humans just left the wolves alone. It was a mutual agreement—humans and wolves should not mix. Kinkou was curious as to why this little boy would deliberately walk into wolf territory, but she decided to ask a different question. "Who are you?" she asked instead.

"Um . . . I . . . M-My name's Waka," the boy said timidly. So that was his name. But another question still remained.

"Why are you here, Waka?"

"W-Well . . . I . . . I-I don't really know."

"You don't know . . . ? Can you tell me what happened?"

Young Waka told her that he woke up in this area with no recollection of what happened beforehand.

"Oh . . . That must be hard for you," Kinkou said sympathetically. Suddenly, she felt that she should change the subject. She didn't want him to feel worse about it. "Would you like to see my little pup?" Waka nodded his head. "Here she is." She revealed the sleeping cub to him.

He looked at the tiny wolf in wonder. "_Elle est belle,_" he murmured in French. "She's beautiful. That fur . . ." He reached out and gently stroked the little pup's fur. It was surprisingly smooth and silky in his hand, unlike a normal wolf's coarse, rough fur. The tiny Shiranui woke, responding to his touch by slightly raising her head, whimpering softly for more.

She didn't know why, but Kinkou had the feeling that this was the start of what would be a grand journey . . .


	2. A Special Bond

_**Chapter 2: A Special Bond**_

From the beginning, Waka and Shiranui shared an extraordinary connection. This much Kinkou knew. She could tell by the way they acted. For example, when Waka returned to the city—the Lunar City, built by none other than the people of the Lunar Civilization, with many bright lights and tall buildings—to seek out his family, little Shiranui pined for him, crying incessantly. Only when he came back unsuccessful in his search did she calm down. He left for the city often, though he always seemed reluctant to leave when he did. And every day was like that—Waka would depart for the city, hesitant to leave, and Shiranui would cry until he returned. _Why . . . ?_ Kinkou wondered. _Why are these two so close?_ Then she supposed that that was a question only the gods themselves knew the answer to.

o~*~o

Shiranui knew not what was going on—she was still blind and deaf to the world—except only by sense and touch. She knew her mother's scent well, but there was another one, another scent the young pup could smell. She liked this scent. It smelled nice and was comforting to her. She also liked when that someone, the source of the scent she liked, stroked her fur. She couldn't get enough of it, and longed for the feeling of their touch.

She also knew when he left. _Why does he leave?_ the tiny wolf wondered. She didn't want him to leave, she wanted him to stay with her and pet her some more. She yearned for his presence, his touch, and she cried when she couldn't have it. She cried because that was the only thing she knew how to do—being only a few days old—and she hoped that her mother would do something to bring the other someone back. But her mother did nothing to bring him back. Shiranui just had to wait and hope that he will come back.

A few days later, Shiranui experienced sound for the first time. Her ears began to pick up the many sounds around her. She quickly learned and memorized the calming, soothing sound of her mother's voice. She also could hear the other someone's voice, light and lilting. But it was a while longer before Shiranui could put the sounds that she heard together in her mind to be recognized as words.

At last, when she started to master the concept of language and linking the sounds she heard together, Shiranui finally learned the other someone's name—Waka. Now she could finally put a name to the presence she liked so much. Her mother was talking to Waka, and Shiranui just listened to them talk, reveling in the sounds of their voices.

o~*~o

After returning from yet another fruitless search, Waka comes back to a pleasant surprise. It had been a couple of weeks since he was separated from his family, and he has been searching for them since. Shiranui was now a bit bigger—no longer the tiny newborn pup he was used to seeing. She was growing up fast, and it showed.

Shiranui had just learned to open her eyes. And even her eyes were special and unique, just like the rest of her. They were a striking gold color, and they shone brilliantly, rivaling even the bright lights of the city. Her amber gaze sought his, the very first thing that she laid eyes on.

Shiranui was confused. She knew now what her mother looked like—like herself—and Waka was different. He had no fur, except on his head. He walked differently, too. She sees her mother walk on four legs, while he walks on two. _Why are you so different?_ she wanted to ask him, but she had not yet grasped the idea of forming her own words. Then she thought it didn't matter. She liked him, and that was not about to change, no matter how different he is from herself.

Shiranui tried to stand up on her spindly legs, to walk towards him. But her frail legs were still far too weak to support her small body, and she fell back down. So she just looked up at him, admiration in her sparkling golden eyes. Waka then petted her again, and she savored the feeling of his weird-looking paw moving across her fur. She let out a happy yip, pleased and content. She wished Waka would stay here with her forever, to play and pet her some more. Then she wondered, just how long _is_ forever?

o~*~o

As time went on, the peculiar little Shiranui only got even more peculiar. Strange crimson markings appeared on her pure white fur, staining it like blood. Her fur stuck up strange tufts at her shoulders, hips, and paws, giving her the appearance of having wings. And, though they were not sure, many believed that she had . . . _powers_ of some sort.

It is a known fact that strange occurrences have been happening since Shiranui got a little older. Shiranui was now walking, if not a bit unsteadily, and still trying to talk. She just couldn't make the sounds that made words, it seemed. She was trying, though. She often experimented with various sounds, hoping that any combination of those sounds would somehow form words.

It didn't take her long to say her first word, actually. Her constant attempts at speech finally paid off. Waka was petting her as usual when she said it. "Wa . . . ka?" she said inquisitively and somewhat timidly.

"Hm?" Waka looked at the little pup. "Did you say something, Shiranui?"

"Waka!" she repeated happily, more confident.

"Hey, that's your first word!" He then woke Kinkou up, who had been taking a nap. "Kinkou! _C'est magnifique!_ Shiranui said her first word!"

"Really? And I missed it? Tell me, what did she say?" Kinkou said, wondering however she missed something as important as that.

"She said my name!" Waka replied, beaming with pride. He still couldn't believe that his name was the very first thing Shiranui ever said. It made him feel . . . special.

"Oh, is that so?" Kinkou gazed down at the pup. "If that's true, surely you can say it again, can't you, Shiranui?"

"Waka!" Shiranui answered. Well, there was her answer.

"Oh, that's very good, Shiranui! Can you say, 'Mommy'?"

"Mom . . . my?"

"Excellent!"

"Mommy! Waka!" Shiranui said again. It seemed to be the only things she could say. But then again, those were the only words she knew, and it was adorable the way she said them, anyways.

"_KINKOU!_"

Everyone turned to face the source of the voice to find Rinmari standing there—and she didn't look happy.

Kinkou glared at Rinmari. "What do you want this time, O great leader?" she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"That thing you call a wolf has got to go!"

"And what do you mean by that?"

Rinmari looked at her as if the answer was obvious. "That _demon_ does not belong here. We need to send it off somewhere else, somewhere far away from here, perhaps somewhere it _does_ belong, like _HELL_!" Suddenly she lunged forward in attack, her icy, penetrating glare directed at young Shiranui.

"No!" Kinkou cried, moving in front of the helpless pup in defense.

Before Kinkou knew what even happened, she and Rinmari were fighting, battling over the fate of little Shiranui. Instinctive, vicious snarls erupted from the two wolves as they fought it out, clawing and scratching each other. And in the next minute, the scuffle escalated, and Kinkou and Rinmari were on the ground, their growls becoming louder, their claws cutting deeper. All while young Shiranui and Waka watched.

Breaking herself away from the fight but for a moment, Kinkou commanded Waka to take Shiranui and escape. He did so, but not without difficulty. Shiranui, concerned and frightened for her mother, refused to leave. "Mommy!" she cried, kicking and nipping at Waka to make him let go. But he was equally stubborn, and removed her safely from the scene despite her protests.

The brawl went on until the two wolves couldn't continue any longer. Exhausted, both collapsed, both a bloody mess. When they awoke, Kinkou offered a deal of sorts. She would allow Shiranui to be taken away and sent someplace else, but only when Shiranui was older. A year was the minimum age she set. At least then Shiranui would be able to take care of herself. But Rinmari protested against that.

"A _year_?" she asked incredulously. "That's way too long! If we wait that long, that little demon will put up more of a fight than it's worth. I say three months tops."

"No, that's too young," Kinkou replied, exasperated. _We need to compromise here if we're going to get anywhere,_ she thought. "How about six months?" That sounded reasonable enough.

As much as she hated to admit it, Rinmari knew that this was a good deal. At six months, the demon would still be too weak to fight, and that insolent wolf would be fine with it. Just like that, she'd be rid of the little demon, and no one would even protest—not that they could. Her words were law, and smart Lunar wolves knew well enough to follow it. If she demands it, they will do it, plain and simple. And that's just the way she liked it. Content with this, she agreed to the deal and walked off.

Kinkou watched Rinmari leave, seething with hatred inside. How could Rinmari do something like that? Shiranui was just as much a Lunar wolf as any of us. She didn't like that Shiranui would be sent away to some distant place, but she had a feeling that Shiranui would be okay, and for some other reason it had to do with Waka. It then occurred to her that Waka and Shiranui had some kind of connection with each other, like they were linked by fate or something like that.

She just hoped that that bond would get the both of them through this when the time came. That special bond . . .


	3. Coming of Age

_**Chapter 3: Coming of Age**_

A deal was made. Neither Waka nor Shiranui knew. Kinkou thought it best not to tell them, for their own good. Though she did have to wonder whether that was the right choice . . .

As it turned out, Shiranui did indeed have strange and amazing powers. The first real sign of these powers emerged when she was about three months old.

Kinkou, Shiranui, and Waka were out in the field. Shiranui and Waka were playing as usual when something completely unusual happened. All of a sudden, a tree fell with a large crash.

"W-What was that?" Waka said, looking in the direction of where the tree fell. "That was rather odd . . ."

Just as he said that, the unexpected crashing sound of a second tree falling startled him. Then yet another tree fell. These trees appeared to be falling with no rhyme or reason, until Waka noticed something peculiar. The trees were falling to what seemed to be to the beat of Shiranui's wagging tail. Every time Shiranui swished her tail, another tree fell, cut down by an invisible force.

_Swish! SLASH! Swish! SLASH!_

The trees just kept falling until Waka said, "Shiranui! Are you doing this?"

Shiranui looked at him curiously. "Doin' what?" _Swish! SLASH!_

"Cutting down trees, or whatever you're doing. I think it has to do with your tail, somehow . . ."

"You tail?"

"No, silly!" he laughed. "I don't have a tail!"

"You don't?"

"No, I don't. I'm talking about _your_ tail!" He pointed to her tail.

"My . . . tail?" She looked at her tail. It was long and white and streaked with red, with a black tip that almost looks like it had been dipped in ink. Watching it twitch and move on its own, Shiranui thought it was something else and not part of her. She started to chase the fascinating, moving object, spinning around in circles.

"What are you doing now, Shiranui?" Waka asked, laughing. It was amusing to watch the little pup chase her own tail. Then another strange thing happened.

In the small area she encircled, her tail trailing behind her and forming a circle, flowers began to bloom. Now Waka was sure that this little pup was special. He wondered what other powers she might have.

Shiranui kept on spinning until she finally got dizzy. After that, they all went back to the den. Waka had still not found his family yet. Now he wasn't even sure if they were still alive or not. But then he thought that it didn't matter, because he had a second family here, with Kinkou and Shiranui. Even if he never found his real family, he would be perfectly happy staying here with them. Especially Shiranui. He liked playing with her a lot. He drifted off to sleep thinking about her, her and her specialness.

o~*~o

Shiranui was now five months old. The days were going by quickly. A little too quickly, Kinkou thought. Each day brought Shiranui closer to being six months old—the age when Kinkou would have to say goodbye to her.

For now, Shiranui and Waka played together like they always did. They still didn't know about the deal she was forced to make with Rinmari. Kinkou kept telling herself that; that she had no choice, that otherwise Shiranui would have been killed anyways. This was all for Shiranui's life, for her to be safe. Kinkou would rather have her someplace far away than being gone forever. That's what any good mother would want for their child, right? Right?

Kinkou shook her head, clearing away the doubt. This was the best choice, and she knew it. She just wanted Shiranui to be safe, no matter where she might be sent away.

Shiranui was playing around, moving her tail in what seemed to be a very purposeful way, drawing an imaginary line in the air with it from the campfire they had built to warm the cold night to Waka. The fire suddenly flared up, setting Waka's robes on fire. Now, Shiranui was doing this just to be mischievous. She had attained, to some extent, mastery over these new powers of hers a while back.

"Wha—? FIRE!" Waka cried, noticing the flames. Rather stupidly, he started running about, shouting for someone to put out the fire.

"Fire!" Shiranui yipped, giggling gleefully. "I made fire!"

"HELP ME!"

"Okay, but you need to hold still now," Kinkou said. "I said, hold still!" She struggled with the frantic Waka a few minutes before getting him to settle down enough for her to put the flames out. "There," she said as she stomped out the fire, "all better."

"_Merci_, Kinkou," Waka said. And he meant it. He hated fire. He was scared to death of it.

"It was nothing." She turned to Shiranui. "And you, missy, need to say sorry to him."

"Sorry, Waka," Shiranui said, her eyes wide and her ears flat down on her head.

"That's okay," Waka said.

". . . Waka?"

"Yes, Shiranui?"

"We'll always be together, won't we?"

Waka smiled. "_Mais oui_. Of course we will."

"Forever and ever?"

"Forever and ever."

Now Kinkou felt really bad. Little did they know that they would be separated in less than a month. But how could they know? Kinkou hadn't told them. At that moment, she seriously considered telling them. But then she thought against it. _Let them enjoy the time they have left_, she thought._ What little time they have . . ._

o~*~o

Shiranui was coming of age all too fast. In the blink of an eye, Shiranui turned six months old. This was the day Kinkou dreaded most. Today they would come and take Shiranui away from her. It was just a matter of what time they came. They could have hours, or just minutes left. There was no way of knowing. And there was nothing she could do, but wait and savor the time she has left to spend with Shiranui.


	4. Betrayal

_**Chapter 4: Betrayal**_

That day, Kinkou thought about all the problems little Shiranui had because she was different. Rinmari had put out the order to shun Shiranui, and of course the other wolves did so. The wolves had been ordered to shun Kinkou, as well, for giving birth to such a creature, and so they did. They just follow her orders like lost puppies. Only Mizuki, Kinkou's best friend, stayed by their side, supportive and caring until the end. Kinkou hadn't told Shiranui, but it wasn't long before Shiranui noticed anyway.

Shiranui had no other friends. Only Waka would play with her. All the other young pups her age turned their backs on her, and she didn't even know why. Then Tsukiko, Mizuki's daughter—who didn't feel the same way about this as her mother did—threw her a blow that hurt more than anything else. It wasn't a physical blow though—Tsukiko struck Shiranui with the truth.

"No one wants you," she had said. "No one wants you because you're different."

"Different . . . ? Different how?" Shiranui asked, not understanding. She was a wolf, just like the rest of them. How does that make her different?

"Isn't it obvious?" Tsukiko scoffed. "Your fur is _white_—not gold, like the rest of us. How could anyone like something that is nothing but a demon spawn? 'Cause that's all you are—demon spawn."

Shiranui, for the first time, began to doubt herself. Is that all she is? A demon? Is she really so different? Does anyone even really want her? Does Waka want her? Does Mommy want her? She didn't know anymore.

That night, Shiranui asked Kinkou a question. It was a question generated by the doubt she felt inside her. "Mommy . . . Do you love me?"

"Of course I do, Shiranui," Kinkou said, shocked by the question. Why would Shiranui even question that?

"Do you want me?"

"Yes, I do. I always have. Why do you ask?"

"No one else wants me, Mommy. They all hate me. They think I'm a demon." Tears sprang to her eyes. "Does Waka even want me?"

That's when Kinkou started to think that really Shiranui didn't belong. She never did, and she never will. Perhaps it _would_ be better for her to be sent off. She might be sent to a place where she's actually accepted and wanted.

"Why am I so different?" Shiranui asked.

"You're not different," Kinkou told her. "You're just . . . special." She hoped Shiranui would take that answer and leave things be. But with little kids, it's never that simple.

"Mommy . . . do I really belong here?" Shiranui asked.

Kinkou knew that Shiranui's innocent, pure gaze could see through any lie, so she had no choice but to tell Shiranui the truth. " . . . No. You don't. But don't worry. That will all change soon enough . . ." That was the closest Kinkou had come to telling Shiranui that she will be taken away from here.

"Really?" Shiranui gazed up at her, her eyes brightening.

"Yes. Things will be better." _For you, anyways_, Kinkou added in her mind. At that moment, Kinkou decided that she would not interfere when they came to take Shiranui away. It was for the better—and it wasn't like she could have in the first place. It was part of the deal. She had to comply. She then started to imagine the life Shiranui could have in that place she's being sent to. She could make friends. She could finally belong. It was just a matter of waiting now, as Kinkou resigned herself to accept Shiranui's fate . . .

o~*~o

It happened at noon. Two men clad in purple and white uniforms—men from the Tao Troopers, the law enforcement group of the Lunar Civilization—came, no doubt commanded by Rinmari. It would appear that she had influence over even the humans of the Moon Tribe.

Shiranui was playing with Waka like normal, unsuspecting of what was to come. One of the Tao Troopers scooped her up in his arms, taking her by surprise.

"Mommy?" Shiranui said, looking to her mother for help.

Kinkou didn't move. She couldn't.

"What are you doing with her?" Waka demanded, anger flashing in his silvery-blue eyes.

"Following orders," the Tao Trooper replied plainly. He didn't care either way—he just had to follow orders.

"Let her go!"

The man kept a firm hold on Shiranui. "Orders are orders."

"Mommy! Waka!" Shiranui cried as she tried to wriggle free from the strange man's grasp. But his grip was too strong. His hands bound her like iron chains.

"Shiranui!" Waka cried back.

Again Shiranui tried to break free, and again the man's steel grip thwarted her. "MOMMY! WAKA!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face. The man placed her aboard a rocket ship programmed to pilot itself to a faraway place. Her cries became muffled as the door closed on her, trapping her within the vessel.

"I'm coming for you, Shiranui!" Waka said valiantly. "I'll save you!" He ran towards the ship only to be halted by Kinkou. "W-What? Kinkou! What are you doing? I have to help Shiranui!"

"No, you can't," Kinkou said.

"Of course I can! And I will!"

"No, you . . . you really can't. You mustn't interfere. I'm sorry." Even as she said this, tears stung her eyes. She wanted more than anything to help Shiranui, to keep her here. But she couldn't. This was the deal; she had to follow through on it, or else Shiranui would die.

"No! Shiranui . . . SHIRANUI!"

"WAKA!" Shiranui shouted through the glass door that barred her way to freedom. Distraught and terrified, she didn't think to use her mysterious powers. The rocket launched, sending Shiranui on her way to some distant land. "HELP ME!" She pawed uselessly at the door in one last hopeless attempt to escape.

Blocked by Kinkou, Waka could do nothing but watch as the ship grew smaller and smaller in the distance until he couldn't see it anymore. "NO! _SHIRANUI_!" There was nothing else he could do. She was gone. Shiranui was gone.

He turned and glared at Kinkou. She didn't do a thing to help Shiranui. She did nothing to help her own daughter. "Kinkou! _Traître!_" he shouted at her. "You traitor! How could you do that? How could you let her, your own _child_ to be taken away like that? Why?" He was hurt and confused; why would Kinkou—who had always been so nice and a devoted mother—commit such a cold-hearted, cruel betrayal?

"Waka, you don't understand. I—" Kinkou started.

"NO! I don't want to hear it!" Waka snapped. "You lying scoundrel! I don't want to hear any more lies!" He started pounding her with his tiny fists.

Though Kinkou didn't feel his blows, his words hurt all the same. "No, that's not it. I'm telling you the truth. Please listen to me," she pleaded.

"Why would I want to listen to _you_ anymore?"

"Because I didn't do this to be heartless. I did it because I had to. Rinmari and I, we had a deal, so—"

Waka jerked away from her as if she'd burned him. "You _sold_ her? You monster! You merciless monster!" He started hitting her again.

"No, it's not like that. I meant—"

"I'm not listening! You sold her, and you did it without even telling me! You're just a mean, cold-blooded, unfeeling—"

"She would have _died_ if I didn't make that deal!" Kinkou screamed suddenly. It was the only way he'd listen.

"W-What?" Waka stopped short.

Kinkou took a deep breath, preparing to tell him the story she should have a long time ago. "Rinmari was going to kill her, so I made a deal with her—that at six months of age, Shiranui would be sent far away from here. It was the only way. I had to. To save her life . . ." She started to cry, feeling so ashamed of herself, as if she should be the one to be sent away. Why didn't she tell him sooner?

"Sh-Shiranui would have . . . died?" Kinkou nodded. His anger left him as quickly as it had come. If only he knew, then . . . then what? Even if he had known beforehand, there was nothing he could have done to stop it. He's just a little kid. He did have his flute-sword, Pillow Talk, but he barely knew how to use it as a weapon. _I'm useless,_ he thought. _I'm nothing but a stupid little kid, and I couldn't save Shiranui. I never will be able to save her now._ He didn't even know where she was now. His entire body shook as he tried hard to fight back the tears that threatened to come, refusing to cry and look even more like a pathetic little kid that can't do anything.

Kinkou noticed, and through her tears said, "It's okay. Let it all out. There was nothing any of us could have done."

Waka realized she was right; there was nothing anybody could have done. Even if he was older and stronger, he still probably couldn't have done anything. That made him feel a bit better. But Shiranui was still gone. He then knew that it was okay to give in to the tears and let it out. And so he did, burying his face in Kinkou's golden fur, just crying and crying. Kinkou wrapped her warm tail around him in a comforting embrace.

"There, there," Kinkou said, though still shedding tears of her own. "Everything's going to be all right. I know we'll see Shiranui again someday."

Waka sniffled, looking up at her. "Really?" he asked through his tears, a glimmer of hope returning to his pale blue eyes.

"Really."

"But . . . how do you know?"

Kinkou managed a feeble smile. "I just do, Waka. I just do . . ." She knew Waka would see Shiranui again, because even when they're apart, that special bond that connects them still exists. Kinkou knew now that they are tied together by destiny . . .


	5. Reunited

_**Chapter 5: Reunited**_

Two years have passed. Yes, it had been two years since young Shiranui's world had been turned upside-down. Two years since she was taken away from everything she so dearly loved. Mama . . . Waka . . . She found herself thinking about Waka a lot more, though. She didn't know why, but she couldn't stop thinking about him if she tried. She wished she could. It hurt to think about him. She missed him too much.

But at least she had a better life here. The people here like her, and accept her for who she is. But it wasn't long before she began to wonder whether she even knew that—who she really was . . .

Her mind drifted back to Waka, and again she felt the pain of missing him so much. She wanted him here with her. He would have liked this place. She lifted her head up, gazing up at the heavens, and howled, calling him. She hoped he could hear her, so that maybe he would come. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, she thought, but someday . . .

o~*~o

"Shiranui!" Waka cried out, waking with a start, his hand reaching out for nothing. It had been a dream. A dream about her . . . He had been having these dreams about her for quite some time now. Maybe it meant something . . . He shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts out of his head. It was just a dream, and nothing else. He was awake now. He was in his room.

Not long after Shiranui was taken away, Waka had finally found his family. He now remembered what happened clearly. Almost too clearly.

He had been playing on the outskirts of the city. He knew his parents didn't like him playing there—it was risky, as it was on the border of Lunar Wolf territory, and some of the Lunar Wolves are very territorial. He wasn't worried, though—nothing had ever happened to him before. But that day, his luck ran out. One of the more aggressive Lunar Wolves—it was later found to be Tsukiko; Mizuki even now constantly apologizes in her stead—had attacked him. He shuddered at the memory of the wolf's sharp fangs and even sharper claws digging into his flesh. He had tried to fight back, and had inadvertently went deeper into wolf territory. He finally gave up the fight, losing consciousness. Tsukiko must have left him for dead. That's when Kinkou found him.

Kinkou . . . she was so nice to him, he looked at her as a second mother to him. He missed her, but it was nothing like being reunited with his real mother. And Shiranui . . .

Shiranui . . .

Waka still didn't know why she had to be taken away like that. She should have been allowed to stay here with him. _Why do I miss her so much?_ he wondered. He had no answer for that—all he knew was that he did, and he wanted to see her again. Those dreams . . . Maybe they're a prophecy. Maybe he will see her again. Just maybe . . .

What was that sound? It might have been his imagination, but he thought he heard something. The sound of a howl somewhere far off in the distance . . .

o~*~o

_5 Years Later_

Waka woke up to the smell of smoke. A fire? He ran out of his room to check when he caught sight of something horrific.

The lifeless corpses of his parents lay sprawled on the floor, picked over by a couple of hungry demons. The demons turned away from their kill and stared at Waka greedily. Waka stood there, frozen with fear. He tried to make himself move, but couldn't. Now more adept at using his sword, he could have slain the demons with ease, but he didn't.

When the demons pounced at him, he ran. He ran away like the coward he knew he was. He remembered how he'd always say that he would do his best to protect himself and others. That was just all talk. When it came right down to it, he couldn't do a thing. He had always let his father, a master swordsman, do all the fighting.

Waka found solace in another room of the house, away from the vicious demons that killed his parents. There he found little Kaguya, his baby sister—only three years of age—crumpled in a heap on the floor. She was alive, but just barely. She, too, had been attacked by the demons. She lay in a pool of her own blood, her clothes and her golden hair dyed crimson. Her aquamarine eyes were listless, almost completely devoid of life.

"Kaguya!" Waka cried, running to her, picking her up in his arms.

"W-Waka . . . ?" Kaguya said, her voice only a whisper now.

"Don't worry, Kaguya. Everything's going to be okay."

Kaguya nodded, then drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Blinking back tears and fighting away his fear, he ran outside, past the horrible demons, determined to save his little sister.

Outside, the chaos was even worse. Watching over the chaos were eight pairs of blood-red eyes, burning through the dark night. A loud roar filled the air, causing the ground shake violently. Many of the majestic buildings in the Lunar City were burning down to the ground. Demons overran the city, killing countless people. Several Lunar Wolves were rushing about the streets of the city, frightened and confused. Some of the people fled, boarding escape pods. The Tao Troopers were desperately trying to restore order, ordering everyone to board the safety ark to the Safe Place.

Waka didn't know what the Safe Place was, but he couldn't get on the ark if he wanted to—there were just too many people crowding around there for him to get through. So he ran to one of the escape pods and placed Kaguya in it. The escape pod would take her someplace safe enough.

Kaguya woke up and asked, "Aren't . . . Aren't you coming with me, big brother?"

"_Je suis desolais, ma soeur_," Waka said. "I'm sorry, but there's only room for one person. Forgive me, my sister. You'll be safe this way."

"No . . . Please, don't go!" Kaguya begged. She clung to him piteously.

"I am so sorry . . . But I can't come with you. And . . . you'll be safe. That's all that matters, _ma soeur_."

Kaguya started to cry, but she nodded.

The door closed her in and the rocket blasted off, sending Kaguya to safety. "_Adieu, _Kaguya. May we see each other again someday . . ." Waka said, tears in his eyes.

He then ran to the last available escape pod and got in. The computerized voice of the rocket said, _Please state your destination._

"Anywhere but here!" Waka shouted at it.

_Processing request . . . BUZZ! Request denied. Please try again._

"Um . . . uh . . ." Then he had an idea. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was sure worth a try. "The Celestial Plain!"

_Processing request . . . _

Waka held his breath. He wasn't even sure if the Celestial Plain was real or not—he had only heard of it in stories. It was the only place he could think of, though.

_DING! Request confirmed. Destination: Celestial Plain._

_Thank the Gods,_ Waka thought. Now he would be taken away to safety, as well. And who knows? Maybe he'll run into Shiranui there . . .

o~*~o

Waka woke up from another dream about Shiranui. _When did I fall asleep?_ he wondered. The ship wasn't moving. Did that mean he was at his destination? Was he actually at the Celestial Plain? He stepped out of the ship, but it felt as if he had stepped into another world entirely.

It was a strange land, filled with strange people. Some of the strange people, the ones with almost luminescent white hair and peculiar red markings that seemed familiar somehow, gave Waka looks of contempt and scorn. Others, angelic in appearance, with their white clothes and wings sprouting from their temples, simply watched him with curiosity in their bright eyes. Waka was about to ask one of the angel-people, whom seemed friendly enough, where he was when a voice interrupted him.

"The Great Goddess approaches!" the voice announced.

Waka was pondering whom the Great Goddess might be when everyone else bowed. Following their example, he bowed as well, assuming that this Great Goddess must be a highly respected leader. After all, he would hate to be disrespectful.

To his surprise, a young girl no older than he walked out. But all the same, he couldn't help but blush at her beauty. Her movements flowed with a grace unlike anything he had ever seen; she appeared to be floating instead of walking. Her white kimono was decorated with red markings not unlike those he had seen on the other strange people. Her long, flowing hair—white, again like the other strange people—fell to her waist, and shimmered even in the darkness of night. A mischevious smile curved her rouged lips, her golden eyes bright and alert. Wait a second . . . Why did all this seem familiar to him?

Wait another second!

Were those _wolf ears_ he saw atop her head? And a _wolf tail_ on her backside? Could it possibly be . . . ?

"All hail the Great Goddess, Shiranui!" the voice that announced her arrival cried.

"All hail Shiranui!" everyone chorused back. Everyone except Waka. He was reeling from what he'd just heard. Is it really she? Is it really Shiranui, the same Shiranui he knew so many years ago?

Impossible!

The Shiranui he knew was a _wolf_. This Shiranui was human—or rather, a _goddess_. But those wolf ears and wolf tail begged to differ . . .

Waka rose to his feet suddenly. Everyone, still bowing respectfully, turned to look at him. He then felt the goddess's golden gaze on him. Her eyes met his, and he thought he saw a spark of recognition in her amber eyes.

"Sh . . . Shiranui?" Waka said tentatively, daring to hope that this might be the Shiranui he knew.

The goddess called Shiranui stared at him a moment longer, unsettling him with her unflinching gaze. Waka turned away from the steady gaze of the goddess, beginning to think that he had made a mistake. _It isn't her_, he thought, his hope fading as quickly as it had come.

That's when her eyes suddenly widened with realization, a soft gasp escaping her. "Waka . . . ? Is . . . Is it really you?" she asked breathlessly. Her voice was gentle and musical, just as he had imagined it would be.

At that moment, Shiranui noticed the gawking onlookers all around her. "You are dismissed. Go on, there is nothing to see here." Rather reluctantly, they left. Shiranui turned back to Waka, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Is it really you, Waka?" she asked again, her voice hopeful.

"Yes . . . Yes, it's me," Waka said, smiling, his voice cracking due to the tears he refused to shed.

"My goodness . . . Waka . . . !" Overjoyed at seeing her old childhood friend, Shiranui threw herself into Waka's arms. Her tears of joy now flowed freely.

"Shiranui . . ." Blushing slightly, he embraced her back. At last . . . At last they have been reunited . . .


	6. Together

Jeez, must I remind you every chapter to please read and review? I guess I must, so I will. Please don't forget to read and review! Especially review! Sorry if it's kinda short - I'll try and get the next one up soon as possible. _**

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Chapter 6: Together

Kinkou dragged herself out of the small hole she'd hidden herself away in. It seemed that the worst was over. She looked around and found Mizuki, her bright fur coated with a light dusting of ashes. Mizuki tried to shake the ashes off her fur, slightly annoyed.

"Ugh, and I just took a bath," she muttered under her breath. Then she noticed Kinkou standing there. "Oh, Kinkou! Thank the Gods, you survived!"

"Yes, we're quite lucky," replied Kinkou. "Let's take a look around, see if anyone else survived."

They explored the ash-covered, devastated fields to find countless Lunar Wolves dead.

"Oh, all those poor wolves . . ." Kinkou sighed. "They never stood a chance." Then her ears caught the sound of a cry from not too far away. "What was that? Let's go see!"

Kinkou and Mizuki rushed towards the source of the sound. There they found Hiroshi pacing anxiously around a pile of boulders—the result of an apparent cave-in. Rinmari was trapped beneath the boulders, and she wasn't looking so well.

"Someone . . . Please help me . . ." Rinmari moaned, her paws feebly scrabbling at the stones.

"Rinmari!" Mizuki sneered, narrowing her eyes. "Why should we help _you_? You've done absolutely nothing for us."

"Mizuki!" Kinkou scolded her. "We're helping her." Her decisive tone left no room for argument. She started digging diligently at the heavy stones.

"Why . . . Why are you helping me . . . ?" Rinmari asked, watching Kinkou work.

"Because you're a fellow pack mate. And we have to stick together, especially now more than ever." Kinkou's cobalt eyes twinkled with a gentleness Rinmari had never seen before. Rinmari turned her gaze away and let Kinkou work at the heavy stones that pinned her. Mizuki joined in reluctantly, shoving aside the rocks with a discontent look on her face.

Finally, Rinmari was freed from the stone death trap. But still she did not rise. She seemed to be in pain, her breathing strained and ragged. Her eyes, usually cold as the tundra, were warmed by hints of fear. Hiroshi immediately came to be at her side, his deep-ocean eyes carrying concern.

"Will she be all right . . . ?" he asked.

"I . . . I don't know," Kinkou said. Rinmari had sustained some serious-looking injuries; she may or may not recover, as far as Kinkou knew.

Just then, Rinmari howled in agony as she recovered from shock and was struck by the pain of her numerous injuries. Her breathing came even shallower than before, each breath painful, a struggle just to stay alive. Hiroshi whispered words of comfort in her ear. "It'll be okay," he said to her. "You just have to hang in there . . ." But Rinmari could not hang in there. Her life was coming to an end, and she knew it. She would have told him so, but it hurt too much to even breathe now, much less speak.

Rinmari looked up at him, her eyes saying what she never could: "I love you."

She then laid her head down next to Hiroshi and, with a smile, breathed her last.

"Rinmari? Rinmari, wake up!" Hiroshi pleaded.

"I'm sorry," Kinkou said. "I'm afraid she's . . . gone, Hiroshi." She averted her gaze, unable to bring herself to look at him.

"What? No . . . please . . . not Rinmari . . ." Refusing to believe that Rinmari was dead, Hiroshi lay down next to her lifeless body, curling his body protectively around hers. "Don't worry, I'm here for you . . . I'll protect you . . ." he said to her corpse.

" . . . Come on, Mizuki. Let's leave him be for a while."

But just then, something else caught their attention. Underneath one of the larger boulders, a paw belonging to some unfortunate Lunar Wolf lay limp. After quite some effort on Kinkou and Mizuki's part, they shifted the boulder aside to find the body of . . . Tsukiko.

"Oh, Mizuki," Kinkou said sympathetically.

Mizuki simply stared at the dead wolf, not sure how to react. On one hand, that was her _daughter_. However . . . Tsukiko had never been the kindest of wolves. Several times Tsukiko had snapped at even her, often saying that she wanted to go off on her own and wishing she never had a mother. But nevertheless, Mizuki never stopped loving her. "Tsukiko . . ." she said softly, tears running silently down her face.

"Everything's going to be all right, Mizuki," Kinkou said.

"What . . . What are we going to do now?" Mizuki asked.

"I don't know. We're going to have to start over, rebuild the Lunar Pack."

Mizuki gazed over at the Lunar City, now almost completely burnt down to the ground. "What about the humans? What will they do?"

"I'm sure they'll be fine. And as for us, we just have to stick together for now and hope things will get better."

"I sure hope they do . . ."

Kinkou smiled. "I'm sure they will, Mizuki. I'm sure they will . . ."

o~*~o

Waka and Shiranui sat beneath the Great Guardian Tree, whose grand branches reached higher than the majestic mountain watching over the Celestial Plain. Waka looked around, admiring the scenic beauty of the green fields of grass, the vibrantly colored wildflowers, and the amazing people that lived there.

"This place is beautiful," he remarked.

Shiranui smiled. "Well, this is my home. This is where I belong. Speaking of which . . . Why are you here, Waka? You should be back at the Moon, shouldn't you?"

"About that . . ." He looked away as he tried to ward off the memories of the attack on the Moon.

"What happened?" Concern showed clearly through her golden eyes.

Waka flinched as the terrifying memories came unbidden, striking fear in his heart. "I . . . I'd rather not talk about it."

"It's okay. I'm here for you." She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me."

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Okay." He could tell Shiranui, if no one else. He trusted her. "There . . . There was an attack on the Moon. I barely got away. My sister escaped, as well—though I don't know where she is now. And my parents . . ." He paused, the image of his dead parents haunting him. "They . . . They didn't make it." He closed his eyes, trying to shut the disturbing picture out of his head.

"Oh, Waka . . ." Shiranui drew him into a comforting embrace. "I'm so sorry."

"It . . . It's okay. Let's talk about you for a while. It seems there's quite a bit to catch up on."

"Oh, you mean this?" She indicated her human figure. "It's real simple, actually. In truth, this is my real form. As a goddess—can you believe it? I'm a _goddess_!" She giggled, a musical sound that rang out like dainty bells. "Anyway, I can shift between my wolf form and my human form. Look, watch!" She demonstrated, changing into a wolf and then changing back to her human self.

"That's astounding!"

"And that's not all! I've mastered just about all my brush powers."

"Brush powers?"

"You know, those strange powers I've always had since I was just a pup."

"Ah, yes."

"Want me to demonstrate?"

Remembering the fire incident, Waka said, "Thanks, but no thanks!"

Shiranui giggled again. "Well, things sure have gotten a lot more interesting now! Everything's going to be that much more fun now that you're here!"

"Yeah . . ."

Shiranui suddenly grew serious. "You lied to me."

"What?" Waka didn't know what she was talking about.

"Back then . . . you said we'd always be together. But you lied to me. I spent the better years of my life without you, Waka! Why did you lie to me?" Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over, rolling down her cheeks. "You promised . . . 'Forever and ever,' you said. What happened to that?"

"I . . . How was I supposed to know? How could I have known that you would be taken away like that? I . . . I'm sorry, okay?" Waka cursed his weakness as tears formed in his eyes.

"It's all right," Shiranui sniffed. "And _I'm_ sorry. I overreacted there. I forgave you a long time ago, actually."

"That's another thing. Last I saw you, you were _way_ younger than me, as in, 8 years younger than me. What happened between then and now?"

"Well, I spent a couple of years as a wolf, so you have to factor in dog—or should I say, wolf—years. So, I'm about the same age as you now."

Waka sighed. "This is all so confusing . . ."

Shiranui giggled again, amused at his confusion. "Don't worry, you'll figure it all out soon enough. After all, we have plenty of time."

He smiled. "_Oui_, all the time in the world . . ."

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On a side note, Waka is 15, and so is Shiranui. They grow up so fast, don't they? *sniff* Anyway, please review!


	7. I Promise

I told you I'd get the next chapter up soon! This is really soon for me, considering I usually update once a week. I hope it isn't too rushed, and I hope you enjoy it. So please read and review! Especially review!_**

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Chapter 7: I Promise

_10 Years Later_

Like they always have since the day they were joyfully reunited, Waka and Shiranui sat beneath the Great Guardian Tree. And like every day since then, Waka played his flute for Shiranui, and she reveled in the soothing melody.

"Mmm . . . how long has it been?" Shiranui asked, still half-lost in the music. "Since we've been together?"

Waka stopped playing for a moment to answer her question. "Well over ten years now, _ma chérie_."

"And still going strong," Shiranui added with a smile.

"And still going strong." Waka then drew her close to kiss her tenderly.

After the kiss ended, Shiranui asked, "And we'll always be together, right?"

"Always."

" . . . Promise me. Promise that you won't ever leave me."

Shiranui's words made Waka recall that day from so many years ago. _We'll always be together, right?_ Shiranui had asked him. And, unknowing of the impending separation that was to come, he had said yes. How was he to know that he had lied to her? But still . . . that was no excuse. "I promise," he said with definite resolve. Never again would he let what happened all those years ago happen again. Never again would he lie to Shiranui.

All of a sudden, a nearby tree burst into flames. "AHH! What the—?" he cried out in surprise. He then looked over at Shiranui. She had long gotten rid of the wolf ears and tail that so easily gave her away, but the mischievous glint in her eyes was all he needed to figure it out. "Shiranui! What is the meaning of this?"

She giggled, reminding him of the young girl he knew so many years ago. Then the flames of the tree suddenly flared up, setting his clothes on fire.

"ACK! FIRE! PUT IT OUT!" Waka cried. It's like they were children all over again, innocently playing in the fields on the Moon.

Shiranui giggled again. "Okay. Whatever you say," she said in a singsong tone. A stream of water leapt from the nearby lake, dousing Waka.

"_Merci_, _ma chérie_," he said sarcastically. "That was rather unnecessary, don't you think?"

"I guess. But it was _funny_!" Shiranui said, now doubling over in laughter.

"_Oui_, hilarious. Ha-ha." He was still being sarcastic, if you couldn't tell.

"I'm sorry, Waka. I just couldn't resist. Ah, just like the good old times! Oh! I've got a present for you!" She held out a package wrapped in white paper, tied with a red ribbon. Typical Shiranui.

Waka took the package and opened it. Inside was a wig, composed of white feathers, obviously made to appear like wings. "And what is this?" he asked.

"Don't you know? It's a wig! You know, to hide that blond hair of yours. That way, no one will know you're from the Moon."

" . . . I think it's a little late for that, Shiranui."

Shiranui winked. "You never know! After all, you—oh!" She yelped as the ground suddenly started shaking. "Earthquake!"

Shouts and cries filled the air, and Waka felt a sudden, terrifying sense of foreboding. Looking up at the sky, which had abruptly turned pitch-black even though it was still daytime, Waka caught an all-too-familiar sight. "No . . . It can't be . . ." he whispered, his heart sinking.

Sixteen dots of crimson burned through the induced night. It was _those _eyes—the very same eyes that had overseen the attack on the Moon.

"_Ma chérie_! Run! You must get away from here!" Waka said to Shiranui. She had to get away at all costs. He wouldn't know what he'd do if she was lost . . .

"Huh? What are you talking . . . about?" Her voice grew soft with terror at the end, her golden eyes growing wide as she gazed upon the very beast that destroyed the Moon.

"I'll hold it off! Get away, Shiranui!"

"No! I'm staying! And I'm fighting!" A defiant gleam had appeared in her eyes.

Waka sighed. Once she gets an idea, there is no changing her mind. "Fine, you can stay if you think you can handle it." And he added silently to himself, _Don't worry. I'll protect you._

Several of the Celestials—the angel-like beings Waka had encountered when he first came to the Celestial Plain—tried to fight off the attacking beast, only to be tossed aside like rag dolls. One of the Celestials still remained standing, though—Anjeru, one of the most loyal servants of Shiranui, also one of the greatest warriors. She noticed Shiranui's presence, stopping briefly to bow to her. "Lady Shiranui!" she said in salutation. "What are you doing here? You must escape while you still can!"

Shiranui rolled her eyes. "Anjeru, you sound like Waka." Waka was always a bit of a buzzkill. "I'm fighting. If anyone can defeat this thing, it's me, right?"

"I would suppose so, Lady Shiranui," Anjeru agreed.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go already!" Shiranui bounded towards the source of the attack, with Anjeru and Waka close on her heels.

As they drew closer, they finally caught sight of the terrible beast that dared to attack the Celestial Plain. It was a horrible creature, a serpent-like thing with scales of golden armor and eight heads, each more menacing than the last. All eight heads turned their attention to Shiranui and the others.

"Insolent fools!" it hissed in its horrific voice—or actually, voices, as all eight heads spoke in unison. "This land I claim for my own! You dare not defy me, the infamous Orochi! If you do, it will be the last mistake you will ever make."

"I'm not scared of you!" Shiranui shouted at the creature that calls itself Orochi.

"You should be, fair maiden." The closest head, the one of Fire, brought its head down to eye level with her, glaring at her with its blood-red eyes. "What could you possibly do to harm me? What are you going to do? Charm me to death?" This brought on a round of laughter from the other heads.

"_You're_ the one who should be scared! I'm a _goddess_, and I have powers you could only dream of having!"

"Shiranui . . ." Waka warned her. He'd rather not have the eight-headed serpent angrier than it already was.

The head that had been glaring at Shiranui turned its attention to Waka. "And you . . . Do you think you could take me on, little Moon boy?"

Waka didn't answer. He wasn't going to dignify anything that murderous beast said with a response. Instead he glared back at Orochi, narrowing his silvery-blue eyes.

Orochi laughed maliciously. "Let's see how you stand up to this, boy!"

It lashed out with one of its heads, but Waka acted quickly, drawing his sword Pillow Talk and deflecting the attack.

Orochi now appeared slightly amused. "Oh, so the little Moon boy can fight, huh?" Its heads turned back to Shiranui. "Let's see what happens if I attack your girlfriend over here . . ."

"No!" Waka said. Just as another one of the heads was about to lunge at Shiranui, Waka moved in front of it. He successfully deflected that attack, as well.

"Waka . . ." Shiranui breathed, in awe of this heroic feat.

But then another head came in right behind the other, attacking Waka. It happened so quickly; Waka hardly knew what had happened. The head of Poison sank its venomous fangs into him. He felt a sudden wave of excruciating pain come over him as the Poison head sank its fangs even deeper. It finally released him, and he fell to the ground. Already the toxins took their toll on him, adding to his pain to the point where he could barely breathe.

It was right at that moment that Waka had a prophecy.

Being a prophet, Waka had the power to see into the future, but he had no control of when he'd get these visions. It was then he saw the only way to defeat Orochi. He had to let Shiranui know. Even if he didn't survive, Shiranui could live on and finish the job that he couldn't.

"Shiranui . . ." he whispered, barely able to say much more. But he had to.

"Waka!" Shiranui cried, kneeling at his side.

"You must . . . listen . . . _ma chérie_." His entire body hurt from the effort of speaking, but he had to say to Shiranui the prophecy. For the safety of the Celestial Plain . . . and possibly for the world as they knew it. "_Only the power of the Chosen One can defeat Orochi._ Ngh!" The pain was all the worse for his efforts, merely breathing a painful struggle. But at least Shiranui knows now. He could only hope she would wait for the Chosen One, the one that would finally slay Orochi.

"Pardon me, Lady Shiranui . . ." Anjeru started politely. Shiranui looked over at her. "Fighting a giant snake all by myself here! I could use a little help!"

"Oh! Sorry, Anjeru!" Shiranui said apologetically. "Okay, now . . . Let's get serious." She narrowed her eyes at Orochi. A blazingly bright halo of white light tendrils flared to life around her body as she prepared for battle.

Orochi laughed its horrible laugh again. "Oh, you're serious now, are you?" the Fire head responded. "Let's see just how serious you are!" It let out a stream of flames from its mouth, aimed directly at Shiranui.

"Lady Shiranui!" Anjeru cried, running to defend her. But she was too far away.

Then, out of nowhere, a strong wind blew through the Celestial Plain, harmlessly blowing away Orochi's flames. Shiranui smiled smugly. "How do you like that?" she asked mockingly.

"What is this?" Orochi demanded, roaring out its frustration. It examined Shiranui more closely. "Ah! A goddess! So you _do_ have some fight in you. No matter," it said, running a forked tongue over its fangs. "That simply makes them all the more _delicious_!" It lunged one of its head at Shiranui again, its jaws wide open.

Shiranui stood there, making a point of not moving, the smug smile still on her face. Then, just as Orochi was about to swallow Shiranui whole, a large tree suddenly sprouted up, getting in its way.

"ARGH!" it cried, recoiling from the sudden impact on the tree. Once recovered, Orochi once more roared out its rage.

Shiranui smirked at the creature. "You're not going to get _me_ anytime soon!"

"We'll see about that, goddess!"

Goddess and demon continued their elaborate battle dance of attacks and evasions. Little did either know they were gradually moving towards the edge of the Celestial Plain, where beyond it there was nothing but a drop into nothingness. Shiranui was the first to notice this fact, her smile growing even wider as a plan formed in her head.

She backed up and started running full-tilt toward Orochi. "Say goodbye, _Orochi_!" she yelled, crashing into the beast with all her might, her intention to send it over the edge into oblivion. Only thing was, this plan wasn't too well thought out. Orochi lost its balance on the edge, falling off the Celestial Plain . . . along with Shiranui.

"Shiranui! No!" Waka cried, forgetting his pain and rushing to save her. He caught her just in the nick of time, gripping her hand tightly as she did his. _I won't lose you again_, he thought.

Shiranui smiled up at him. And he wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a hint of sadness in that smile. "Waka . . . let go."

"What? No! I'll never let go!"

"Please . . ."

"But why?"

" . . . I'll be all right. You have to trust me on this!" Saying this, she released her hand from his.

In spite of her crazy words, Waka kept a tight grip on her hand. But without her holding on to him, she was slipping out of his grasp. "Please don't do this, _ma chérie_!"

"Waka . . . I love you. Don't ever forget that."

And then she fell.

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. . . I'm starting to get a little irritated now. Wanna know why? Because none of you are reviewing, that's why! So please, please, please review! And if you don't, I swear I will go on a fanfiction hiatus! In other words, I won't be writing ANY more fanfiction until one of you reviews! That is all.


	8. A Perfect Pair

I have nothing much to say here, except enjoy! Oh, and I'll fix a little mistake I made here. I didn't even notice until one of my awesome readers pointed it out to me. Thanks, RaitonWolf! I kinda forgot that this was supposed to be like 200 years ago before Lika and Kai were even alive. How silly of me! So, Hanako and Kanna are supposed to be Lika and Kai's ancestors, respectively. Well, hey, it seems that everyone else in the game has their "double" in the past, so why not them, too? And don't forget to review! Don't forget . . . _**

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Chapter 8: A Perfect Pair

In one last instant that seemed like a lifetime to Waka, Shiranui called up to him, "Don't worry. I'll wait for you."

Waka could only watch as she fell further and further, deeper and deeper into nothingness until he absolutely couldn't see her anymore.

He couldn't believe it. He's lost Shiranui all over again. And again, if only he had been stronger, he could have saved her. He stood frozen at the edge of the Celestial Plain.

"Waka!" Anjeru called out to him, snapping him somewhat out of his shock. "There's trouble!"

And indeed, there was trouble. The damage from that serpent Orochi had already been done, and the Celestial Plain was in chaos. Multiple fires threatened to burn down the entire plain. Already the Great Guardian Tree was felled, crashing to the ground with a thunderous sound and sending thousands of discarded flower petals swirling into the now murky air. Familiars of Orochi stayed behind, killing countless Celestials. The Celestials ran from the demons, and searched desperately for an escape route. Waka then remembered something that might be their saving grace. The Ark of Yamato.

Yes, the Ark of Yamato. He recalled some Tao Troopers talking about it back on the Moon. They had said something about it being a vessel of some sort . . . He also knew that it had been sent to the Celestial Plain, so it must have been some kind of escape vehicle, he figured. And it seemed that the Ark of Yamato was their only hope. So did they really have a choice?

"Come with me!" Waka said to the panicked Celestials, beckoning them to follow him.

They did so, and Waka led them to where the Ark of Yamato was kept. The ark was beautiful; it was made of a glittering, shining material the Celestials had no name for, and it glowed with crimson runes that vaguely reminded them of Shiranui's red markings. Something so beautiful and majestic must be the key to their salvation. Always it had stood here, watching over the Celestial Plain, forever protecting the Celestials, and now it will be the vessel that will deliver them from the ravaged plain.

The Celestials swiftly boarded the ark. Then, after making sure everyone else was onboard, Waka boarded, as well. No sooner did he cross the threshold was he overcome with pain. The poison of Orochi was most certainly potent, but he fought hard against the pain, refusing to give in to it. He made his way to the control room, every step a struggle. He started up the ark's computer, setting it to autopilot so that it may take him and the Celestials wherever the wind takes them.

o~*~o

Waka had hoped to get some rest during the journey, but already there seemed to be complications. He could hear the cries and shouts of the Celestials from deeper within the ark. Still trying to forget the pain, which had thankfully dulled after a little while, he made his way to where the Celestials roosted, figuring that it was probably a fight or something of the sort. But what he found was a lot worse.

Demons. Hordes of demons crawling from the depths of the ark. The Celestials tried futilely to fight the demons off, but they were no match. The demons mercilessly killed countless Celestials, hungry for blood.

Blood. There was so much blood. The remains of dead Celestials lay scattered across the floor of the ark, their blood staining it crimson.

Waka stood horrorstruck as he took in the gruesome scene before him. He considered running away, but quickly banished the thought. He would not run. Not this time.

He drew Pillow Talk, his flute-sword, and started slaying the demons. One by one, they went down, but there seemed to be no end to them. He then drew his other sword, the one he keeps in reserve for times like these, and fought with both swords in order to more effectively kill the demons.

But it still wasn't enough. There were so many demons; they just kept coming and coming. And Waka was still weak from Orochi's poison. This, he knew straightaway, was a losing battle. But nevertheless, he would never give up. He just had to survive a little longer . . .

The ark quaked with a sudden jolt. The demons had destroyed the ark's steering rudders. As these were critical to the ark's stability and flight, the ark began losing altitude rapidly, plummeting to the earth below. Before the imminent impact, Waka's last thought was: _Don't worry, _ma chérie. _I'm coming for you._ Then the world went dark.

o~*~o

Everything was cold. Cold and dark. Waka began to wonder if he had died. Then reason reminded him exactly where he was—within the Ark of Yamato. He knew that he was to blame for it all. Had he not led the Celestials to the ark, they would not be dead. Why couldn't he have seen it sooner? How was he to have known that the Ark of Yamato was not an escape vessel, but instead a means of transporting demons created by the people of the Moon? If only . . . If only he hadn't been so foolish. If only he had known from the start. If only . . . Shiranui was still here. She would have known the ark's true nature. She knows . . . _knew_ everything. He lay silent in the freezing darkness, waiting for death to overtake him. After what he's done, that was what he deserved—death. If only . . .

After what seemed an eternity, the silence was broken by voices drifting through the darkness. They gradually became louder so that he could hear what they were saying.

"My goodness! What happened?" one voice asked. From the sound of it, a female was the one speaking.

"I'm not sure . . . What is that thing?" another female voice responded.

"Looks like a vessel of some sort . . ." This time, it was a male voice that answered.

"I think there's someone in there!" the first female voice shrieked.

"By the Gods, I think you're right. We need to help him!" the male voice commanded.

Waka then felt something pulling on him. Half-dazed and on the edge of insanity, he believed that the people trying to help him were the demons coming for him. He struggled against their restraining hands, but he was too weak to fight them off. Darkness gave way to light, blinding him momentarily.

Once he recovered, all he could see was white. Was he blind? No, he is in a land of snow now, so there was white everywhere he looked. He tried sitting up, but was overcome by a sudden dizziness. Before he had the chance to get a better look around, the silent darkness overtook him again. He remained in that darkness, that trancelike state for quite some time, it seemed to him. Though there was no way to tell; there seemed to be no time in this black world. After a long time—or perhaps just a moment—the voices from earlier breached the darkness.

"Do you think he's all right?" the first, younger female voice asked.

"I think he will be after a little rest," the second female replied.

"Look! I think he's coming around!" the young female said.

Waka managed to come out of the darkness again, opening his eyes. He looked around, noting that he was now in someone's house. He turned to the source of the voices, hoping to see the faces that the voices belonged to, only to find that strange masks hid those faces.

"Hello, mister!" the younger girl said. She was very young, only about ten years old, and she wore a mask that looked like a flower. "What's your name?"

"That's enough, Hanako," the second female said to the young girl. She appeared to be about 18 or 19 years of age, and she wore a mask that resembled a doe. "Take it easy on the poor guy. Who knows what he's been through." She then turned to speak to Waka. "Hello there. My name's Kanna. That girl over there is Hanako. She's my little sister. Sorry if she bothered you."

"That's quite all right," Waka said, smiling a little. This Kanna girl was very kind. "My name is Waka. It's very nice to meet you. But what happened? How did I get here?" What had happened to him between the crash of the ark and now?

"Well, I was in my house when I heard this really loud crash. I went outside, and I saw this huge . . . thing. I don't know what it was, but it had crashed into Laochi Lake, and you were inside it. It's a good thing we found you when we did."

"Why is that?"

"First of all, you were in pretty bad shape. You were delirious. You had tried to fight us off when we tried to help you. After that, you lost consciousness. You . . . Your body was so cold, I was afraid you were going to die. We took you to my house, and it's a good thing we did. Right after we rescued you, demons started pouring out of the strange thing that crashed into the lake." She shuddered at the memory. "There was just no end to them; we were all very lucky to get away before that."

" . . . Thank you very much for your generosity, but I should leave now." Waka tried to stand, but Kanna stopped him from doing so.

"You shouldn't. You need to get some more rest," Kanna insisted.

"Again, thank you for being so kind to me. But I'll be fine."

" . . . If you say so."

Waka left, and set out on a journey to explore the land. He himself did not know why, but something deep inside him was compelling him to do this. And . . . he had the strangest feeling that he would see Shiranui again . . .

o~*~o

All throughout his travels, the consequences of Waka's mistake were apparent. Demons prowled the land freely, killing anyone foolish enough to approach them. In order to try and restore some order, Waka established a Tao Troopers headquarters high up in the sky above Sei-An, the capital city. But it didn't do much good.

When word of what happened spread throughout the land, when others learned that the Moon Tribe was to blame for this chaos, people started looking at Waka scornfully, knowing that it was his fault. In an attempt to hide his true identity to others—and because of his own shame—Waka started wearing the wig that Shiranui made for him. From then on, no one said or did anything that indicated that they recognized him. His secret was safe.

He continued his journey across the land until he came to a humble little village called Kamiki Village. In that small town, no one knew who he really was, as they were mostly isolated from the outside world. He was wandering through the village when he caught sight of a divine being.

It was but a mere tree sprite, but Waka felt compelled to follow it. The beautiful tree sprite led Waka to a majestic sakura tree, one much like the Great Guardian Tree. And beneath the tree laid Shiranui.

The sakura tree suddenly vanished, leaving in its place a tiny sapling. It had been a vision. But Shiranui still remained, laying next to the tiny sapling.

Waka ran to her side. She had turned back into a wolf. This fact brought back many memories of their childhood. And again he was overcome with sadness. She gave her life to save the Celestial Plain. How could he ever live up to that, especially after what he did? Tears welling in his eyes, Waka gently stroked her fur, the way she used to like so much as a young pup.

Wait . . . Did her ear just twitch? He might have imagined it. But as he was stroking her ear, he felt it under his hand. Her ear twitched. She was alive.

"_Ma chérie_ . . . Can you hear me?" Waka said to her, hoping for some kind of response.

And a response he got. Her ear twitched again, stronger this time.

"Shiranui! Wake up!"

"Nnh . . ." Shiranui muttered softly. She was trying.

"_Ma chérie_! Wake up! _S'il te plait_ . . . Please . . ."

Shiranui's eyes fluttered open at last. Waka was close to tears of joy. He had thought he'd never see those beautiful golden eyes again. "Waka . . . ?" Shiranui said, her eyes gradually focusing on him as she slowly recovered from her daze.

The tears he had been trying to hold back came anyway. But he didn't care. "Yes . . . Yes, it's me, _ma chérie_. I'm here for you."

"Ugh . . . That was some fall. I'm sure going to be sore in the morning! But I'm still here, and that's what counts." Shiranui hoisted herself up to her feet, surprised that nothing was broken, only sprained or bruised. She shook herself off as if to shake the soreness out of her.

"Yes . . . That's what counts," Waka agreed.

Shiranui looked at him as if she just noticed he was there. "WAKA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" she squeaked, sounding genuinely surprised.

Waka couldn't help but smile. "Bit of a delayed reaction there, don't you think? Do you not remember? The Celestial Plain was attacked, but I managed to get away."

"Get away? But how?"

"The . . . The Ark of Yamato." That was all he needed to say. And that's all he would say on that subject matter.

"You WHAT? But didn't you know that—"

"No. I didn't know." Waka cursed himself for contradicting himself.

". . . And what of the others? The Celestials?"

This time Waka refused to answer. He wasn't about to tell her that all the Celestials were dead.

"Fine, don't answer me, then."

Waka decided to change the subject. "Why are you a wolf?"

"A wolf . . . ? What are you talking a—AHH! I'M A WOLF! HOW THE HECK DID THIS HAPPEN?" Shiranui squealed as she just noticed that fact. She looked at her wolf tail curiously. "Hmm . . ." She couldn't help it; she just had to chase her tail. It had been so long since she could do that. On the Celestial Plain, as the Great Goddess, she was always expected to have "ladylike conduct". So basically, tail-chasing was prohibited.

"What are you up to?" Waka laughed. Her antics always brought back a fun memory or two.

"WHOO-HOO!" Shiranui cheered while still chasing her tail.

Waka then thought about how he could spend the rest of his life with Shiranui. Why did he think of this? _Because_, he thought, _we are a perfect pair . . . _

**Post A/N:** Ugh, stupid document-line-thingie . . . Well, then . . .The story from here on out is going on into the game, so if you haven't played it yet, I just thought I should warn ya. Thanks for reading! No, really, I am grateful ^.^ Oh, and just one more thing . . . *suddenly solemn* I'm serious about that hiatus . . . *overly cheerful again* Okay, don't forget to review! Bye!


	9. Pain of the Past

I worried you guys there for a little bit, didn't I? Don't worry, I'm not going into hiatus . . . yet. But guys, this is just sad. Do I really have to threaten you just to get some fricken' reviews? Sigh . . . Anyway, I'm going to start writing these "lead-ins" at the beginning of every chapter to kind of set the mood. Pardon me if Waka seems a little OOC here. But I like to think that he was always very open with Shiranui. So . . . Enjoy!**_

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**_Chapter 9: Pain of the Past_**

"_I am blessed to have met you, but I am cursed all the same . . ."_

"Shiranui . . . You can stop chasing your tail now," Waka said to the wolf, still wildly spinning in circles. "You're starting to make _me_ dizzy."

"No way!" she yapped. "This is too fun!"

"_Trois_ . . ."

"WOOO-OOO-OOH!"

" . . . _Deux_ . . ."

"WOO-ooo-OOO . . ."

" . . . _Un._"

"Woo . . . ooh . . . I'm di-i-i-izzy!" Shiranui dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Shiranui . . . ?" Waka walked over to her. She seemed to be unconscious. _Playing dead?_ he wondered. _Or did she really pass out?_ He reached down and stroked her fur the way she likes. She didn't move. _So she really did pass out._

"BOO!" Shiranui shouted, suddenly springing to life. Waka jumped, startled.

She started laughing. "Gotcha!"

So she was playing dead. How typical. "_Mon dieu_ . . . Shiranui, you are crazy," he said to her with a smile. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Shiranui hopped up on her hind legs, planting her front paws on Waka's shoulders, her tail wagging playfully. "And you know that I love you, right?"

" . . . No." Waka removed her paws from his shoulders, forcing her to fall back on all fours. "Please, don't say that."

"Why not? I do love you." She tilted her head curiously.

"No. Please . . . don't . . . I . . . I can't . . . I-I don't . . ." He couldn't put his thoughts into words. _I don't deserve your love_, he wanted to say. _I don't even deserve to live_.

"What is it, Waka? You can tell me." That look of concern shone in her brilliant golden eyes again.

"I . . . The Celestials are dead because of me. I led them to the Ark of Yamato. They all died because of my mistake. And I can't ever take that back." Waka looked away, ashamed. Now Shiranui would hate him, turn her back on him just like everyone else. And that was the way it should be.

" . . . I forgive you."

"You what?" Did he just hear what he thought he heard?

"I forgive you, Waka." Waka searched her expression for signs that she was lying, that she was just saying that to appease him. Her golden gaze was soft and gentle, her smile was sincere. She really _did_ forgive him.

"Shiranui . . ." Her easy forgiveness moved him deeply. Against his will, tears came to his eyes. He tried brushing them away, but they kept coming until he completely gave in to them.

"Waka? What's wrong?" Shiranui asked. Why would her forgiving him bring him to tears like this?

"How . . . How can you forgive me so easily?" Waka asked through his tears. "I . . . I've done something horrible. I should never be forgiven. I . . . don't deserve any of this. I don't deserve your love, and I don't deserve your forgiveness. I'm . . . just not worthy."

"Waka." She got back up on her hind legs and placed her front paws on his shoulders once more so that she can look him in the eyes. "I forgive you because I love you. No matter who you are or what you have done, that will never change. I will always love you. Remember that, okay?"

"_Ma chérie_ . . ." This time he accepted her, hugging her tightly. Once he let go and she dropped back onto all four legs, he said to her, "_D'accord_. I will."

After sitting there together for a while, Waka said, "Shiranui?"

"Yes?" Shiranui said.

" . . . Why are you still a wolf?"

"Hmm? Gee, I don't know . . . Let me try and change back into human form." After a few moments of nothing happening, she said, "Darn. It doesn't look like I can. It seems that I'm stuck as a wolf for now."

"Do you think perhaps it has to do with being in the land of mortals?"

" . . . Probably. Come to think of it, I remember someone saying something about how gods can't reveal their true forms while outside their home realm. So that means I most likely won't be able to change back until we get back to the Celestial Plain. The Celestial Plain . . . You think we'll ever be able to go back? It was pretty wrecked when we last saw it . . ."

"I'm positive we will."

"Really?" Shiranui's wolf ears perked up. "How do you know?"

Waka smiled a sly smile. "I have my ways . . ."

"Ooh! Why must you be so mysterious?"

A young girl of about five years if not less approached them. Waka figured it must be the tree sprite he had a vision of earlier, the one that led him to Shiranui in the first place. This must be what she looks like now. "Hewwo! My name ish Shakuya!" the little girl said.

"Oh, how _cute_!" Shiranui exclaimed. "Hi there, Shakuya! My name's Shiranui."

"Shiwanui?"

"Adorable! Isn't she just the most precious thing, Waka?"

"_Oui, elle est trés mignonne_."

"English, please," Shiranui said. No one can ever understand him when he's speaking French. Shiranui turned back around to see that Shakuya had up and walked away. Oh, goodness. "Look what you did! You chased her off! Oh, well. I'm going to explore the village."

"Have fun with that."

o~*~o

1 Year Later

Time passed by painfully slow for both Shiranui and Waka. Waka was typically busy managing the Tao Troopers from his headquarters all the way in Sei-an City, and Shiranui kept a vigilant guard on the small village called Kamiki. She'd grown attached to the people of the village, and felt that it was her duty to keep them safe.

On the night of the full moon, Shiranui got some shocking news. Orochi was still alive.

_How can this be?_ she wondered. _I thought I killed that dumb serpent!_ But sure enough, the eight-headed snake was terrorizing the poor people of Kamiki. The monster was demanding a sacrificial maiden to keep him fed. If the villagers did not comply, their village would be wiped off the face of the earth. And the worst part was, Shiranui couldn't do a thing to stop it. She had to watch as the chosen maiden marched solemnly to her death. Shiranui felt her heart ache for the poor girl.

Why couldn't she do anything about it? Because she knew she couldn't face Orochi alone. She had to wait for "the Chosen One," the one that would end Orochi's life once and for all. But she wanted to. She so wanted to just face down Orochi and make it pay for its deeds. But she couldn't. She had to wait.

_How long do I have to wait?_ she asked herself. _Only time will tell . . . _

o~*~o

_9 Years Later_

It's been 10 years since Shiranui and Waka came to the land of the mortals. Neither aged, as both are immortal. But in spite of this fact, Waka did not consider himself a deity like Shiranui. No, he was just a man, a man that never aged. As a man from the immortals of the Moon, he remained frozen at the age of 21, the age when one officially reaches adulthood. He was still busy with the Tao Troopers. And Shiranui was still waiting.

Year after year, Shiranui was forced to watch as one by one young girls disappeared from the village, never to be seen again. Still, she couldn't do anything. Nothing had changed, except the villagers' attitude towards her. Over the years, they grew to fear her, falsely accusing her of being a familiar of Orochi. Whenever one of the villagers saw her, they either ran away or tried to attack her. She didn't want to admit it, but the villagers' coldness hurt her. Their scorn towards her reminded her too much of her time back on the Moon, when all the other wolves hated her. She wanted to hide, to run away from it all. But at the same time, she wanted to protect them. So still, she patrolled the streets at night, keeping vigil on the villagers she both loved and despised.

Her only comfort was Waka. When he returned from Sei-an City, she would run into his arms, and the pain of the past would fade.

Waka felt the same way. All he wanted to do was to forget the past, to forget all the pain and the regret. And when he was with Shiranui, he could. Shiranui was his angel, and her healing light did away with his suffering. Shiranui was his salvation. But even though he was so lucky as to meet this beautiful angel, it did not change what he had done. He was still cursed, still looked down upon as a member of the despised Moon Tribe. But again, when he was with Shiranui, none of that mattered anymore. As long as she loved him, he would never have to face his past again . . .

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Guess what? As from this moment, I'm going to start including a "French glossary" so you know what Waka's saying. Yeah, I know what he's saying. Three years of French, baby! Anyway, here you go.

**French Glossary**

_"Trois . . . Deux . . . Un." = "Three . . . Two . . . One."_

_"Mon dieu . . ." = "My goodness . . ."_

_"D'accord." = "Okay."_

_"Oui, elle est trés mignonne." = "Yes, she is very cute._"


	10. Play Your Flute

Woo-hoo, one of my longest chapters yet! This is the final chapter to Dog Days. I know, it's so sad . . . I could just cry. I hope you enjoy it. I've worked really hard on this one. Oh, and a word of warning: **MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER!** If you haven't played through to Wawku Shrine yet, I suggest you turn back now. But if you don't mind spoilers, then go right on ahead.

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_**Chapter 10: Play Your Flute**_

"_Who is that I see beyond my reflection . . . ? The last, sweet notes of my favorite melody carry me to my destiny . . . to my eternal rest . . ."_

_90 Years Later_

A total of 100 years has passed since Shiranui and Waka came to the land of mortal men. Both have been waiting all this time for the Chosen One to be born so that Orochi's reign of terror may finally end.

At last, after 100 long, long years . . . Nagi, the Chosen One, is ready to take on Orochi. The only thing left to wait for was the night of the full moon, the fateful night when the terrible Orochi will be slain.

Shiranui looked up at the night sky, at the waxing moon. _Soon_, she thought. _Soon Orochi will be no more._

Waka gazed up at the moon with her, contemplating his most recent prophecy. He has seen a vision . . . and he knows that Shiranui will not survive the impending battle. She will die a hero in the eyes of the villagers, but she will die nevertheless. But he has also seen a vision of the two of them returning to the Celestial Plain together. _What does it mean?_ he wondered. He looked over at Shiranui, who met his eyes with a look of determination. He knew what that look meant. It meant that she was going to fight, even if it meant certain death.

A tremendous roar shook the earth. Orochi was becoming restless. It knew that the festival drew near, and it was hungry for another sacrifice.

Shiranui glared in the direction of the sound, toward the Moon Cave. The Moon Cave, a desolate place where no light shines through, where Orochi makes its lair. "Don't you worry," she said aloud. "We're coming for you soon, you snake . . ."

o~*~o

The night of the Kamiki Festival, the night of the full moon, the night Orochi will die was finally here.

Like all the years before, a white plumed arrow materialized and pierced the sky, penetrating the house of the chosen maiden. This year it was Nami, the most beautiful maiden in the village. Nagi, who was in love with her, was enraged at this. He charged full-speed toward the Moon Cave, resolute in his desire to end the sorrowful tradition that has been a part of Kamiki for 100 years. Shiranui, sensing what was about to happen, followed close on his heels.

Man and wolf ran together through Shinshu Field, racing down the path to the Moon Cave. Nagi went on in unhindered. But when Shiranui tried to enter, a mysterious force locked her out. Curious, she placed a paw on the invisible "wall" only to receive an electrical shock. She let out a yelp, drawing back her burnt paw.

"Ow! What the heck was that?" complained Ishaku, a Poncle that had befriended Shiranui a while back. He bounced up to the mouth of the cave only to be fried by the invisible barrier once more. "OWW! THAT FRICKIN' HURT!" His golden-yellow glow turned red as he got irritated. Then, to Shiranui's amazement, he approached the cave a third time, getting electrocuted yet again. "YOW! WHAT THE HECK'S UP WITH THIS THING?"

"It's a _barrier_, Ishaku," Shiranui pointed out to him. "Stop touching it, you idiot." But of course he didn't hear her. No one but Waka can understand her, so all Ishaku heard was a bunch of yaps and barks. But, due to the bond they came to share over the years, he _does_ know what she's thinking most of the time.

"Shaddup, Ammy!" Ishaku said to her. He didn't know exactly what she was saying—he can understand animals for the most part, while Shiranui was a little difficult to read—but he knew she was making fun of him.

"You shut up!" Shiranui barked back. "And where did you come up with that nickname, anyway?" She didn't particularly like "Ammy" as a nickname for her. It didn't even make sense. How do you get "Ammy" from "Shiranui"?

Ishaku sighed, ignoring her like usual. "Looks like we're just going to have to wait out here for the time being."

Shiranui sighed as well, laying her head on her paws. "Yeah, it looks that way . . ."

o~*~o

Amaterasu looked around the Moon Cave of the past, still wondering how she got here. She went through the Spirit Gate, and ended up in the past, 100 years ago to be exact. She was also wondering where her former incarnation, Shiranui, was. Shiranui was the one supposed to be here, not her.

She reached the top of the stairs, looking down at Orochi's lair. The ground suddenly started shaking, and from the ground emerged Orochi, Orochi of 100 years past, Orochi at its full power. Staring up at its blood-red eyes, doubt bloomed in Amaterasu's heart. This was Orochi at its complete and entire strength. What if she wasn't strong enough? What if she failed?

"Snap out of it, furball!" Issun, her Poncle companion, said. "We gotta focus!"

"Y-Yes!" Amaterasu said, snapping to attention. He was right. This was no time for thinking. This was the time to fight. To affirm her resolution, she raised her head and howled to the dark skies above. "Let's fight!"

"You think you can take me, wolf?" Orochi hissed, baring its hideous fangs. "Then take this!" The head of Fire opened its mouth and breathed red-hot flames toward the wolf.

"Too easy!" Amaterasu smirked, blowing away the flames with a Galestorm technique. She's fought this serpent before. And its moves are _way_ predictable. Next, she supposed one of the heads was going to lunge at her.

Oh, look. She was right. The head of Poison lurched forward, fangs glistening with venom. Without a second thought, Amaterasu placed a dot on the ground with her brush, which grew instantly into a large tree. Orochi crashed into the tree, just like she predicted would happen.

This game of cat and mouse continued on into the long night. Orochi would launch its overly predictable attacks, and Amaterasu easily deflected each. But it couldn't go on this way. Amaterasu was getting nowhere. Orochi had a barrier of some kind to protect itself, and Amaterasu couldn't get a single scratch on it. Amaterasu was getting tired, and was rapidly losing heart. Just when she was about to lose all hope, in came Nami, along with her sake—the sake of legend, 8 Purification Sake. Amaterasu took the sake from her and poured it into the convenient pits located around the cave.

"Now you're in trouble," Amaterasu sneered. "Take this!" Using Waterspout, she poured the sake into one of the head's gaping jaws, getting it drunk. She repeated this procedure until all the heads collapsed, giving her access to the bell atop Orochi's back, the source of the mystical barrier that protected it. She swiftly destroyed it, thus destroying Orochi's barrier and rendering it vulnerable to her attacks.

At last, her attacks connected, and she managed to severely injure Orochi. Only then did Nagi step in. He raised his sword to the sky. Amaterasu immediately knew the cue to howl to the heavens, separating the dark clouds and revealing the glorious full moon. _Yes_, she thought. _This is it . . . the death of Orochi is close at hand . . ._

o~*~o

Shiranui heard the howl and knew right then that something had changed. She tentatively placed her paw near the edge of the entrance of the cave. Nothing happened. The barrier had been broken. A sense of urgency propelled her forward as she ran into the cave, a feeling of foreboding chilling her down to the bone . . .

o~*~o

Nagi's sword started to glow a beautiful and majestic gold color. Wielding what little power he had left, Nagi cut off Orochi's heads one by one, until the beast was finally dead. The curse over the land dissipated . . . or did it?

A menacing aura swirled in the air above them, as if to say that it wasn't over. In an act of payback, the lingering spirit of Orochi shook the cave, causing it to start to cave in. Large boulders fell left and right, threatening to flatten them. Amaterasu fluidly dodged the boulders with easy grace, but Nagi wasn't so lucky. A boulder even larger than the rest came right down on top of him. For a frightening moment, Amaterasu thought that he was dead. But what was this? A light shining from beneath the boulder . . . Could it be?

It was none other then Shiranui, Amaterasu's past self.

o~*~o

Shiranui found herself looking at . . . herself? No . . . this wolf must be a reincarnation of her. But how? Of course! The Spirit Gate, as she recalled, was a special gate that could take one to a different place . . . and a different time. She had come in just in time to save Nagi from the falling boulder when she encountered her future self.

She heaved the boulder aside, and examined her reincarnation, her other self. Her fur was white, and her markings were similar, but not quite the same. The Divine Instrument on her back was also similar to hers, but it also looked somewhat weaker than Shiranui's Solar Flare. Is this what she is to become? A weaker version of herself?

The other wolf reflected her curious gaze, looking at Shiranui with her golden eyes. Her eyes . . . those were exactly the same as Shiranui's.

Before Shiranui even had the chance to ask the wolf her name, she had turned around and fled the cave, which was probably a good idea. The cave was falling apart, and would soon cave in.

But as soon as her other self left, everything just . . . stopped. The world seemed to be frozen. She could still move about, but everything else was paused. A portal of some kind materialized in front of her, further confusing her. In the distance, she could hear a howl . . . Wait a second! She _knew_ that howl. It was the same howl she heard earlier, the howl of her future self. Shiranui peered into the portal, which seemed more like a tear in the fabric of reality. Could it possibly be a tear in time? Could it possibly be that her reincarnation is calling her from the future?

Again, she could hear the familiar howl. It rippled like a wave through time, yet it rang loud and clear in the still air. That was the answer to her question. Yes. Yes, her future self needed her help. Yes, she would travel though time if she stepped through the portal. Shiranui hesitated, her intuition telling her no. She knew then that if she went through the portal, she would die. But all the same, she felt something deep inside her pulling her towards the portal. This was her destiny.

She took a deep breath, which might be her last, and leapt into the portal.

o~*~o

Shiranui was instantly transported to the future, to the time that her other self resided in. There, she met her other self—looking bewildered at Shiranui's appearance. The wolf was getting ready to battle a giant, robotic . . . owl?

"What the . . . ? Shiranui? What are you doing here?" her other self asked.

"I'm here to help you," Shiranui replied. "How is it that you know my name and I don't know yours?"

"Oh, sorry. My name is Amaterasu. And how I know your name . . . I'll tell you later. Right now, we got a couple of birdbrains to beat!"

"Yeah!" Shiranui howled a rousing howl. In response, Amaterasu howled, as well. Then in an act of unity, the two of them howled together, the two unique howls blending into one.

The two wolves together were the perfect team, flawlessly coordinating their attacks and brush techniques to damage the robot owl. When Shiranui used Galestorm, Amaterasu added her own power to it with another Galestorm, making for twice the wind and nearly blowing that owl away. When one used Cherry Bomb, another would appear right behind it for double the explosive power. But whether Amaterasu would like to admit it or not, Shiranui did most of the work. Shiranui felt a little disappointed about this. She had hoped her future self would be more powerful, not weaker. But Amaterasu was a great help anyways, Shiranui thought.

"Wow! You guys really did a number on birdbrain there! Quick, Ammy, before your old self steals all the glory! Finish that demon off!" Issun, Amaterasu's Poncle companion said. He sure talked a lot. It made Shiranui miss her Poncle friend, Ishaku.

Suddenly, another one of those strange owls came flying in. But it acted strangely, its flight pattern jerky and erratic. It was under attack by a man who appeared to be of the Oina tribe.

"What the . . . ? That's . . . The Golden Demon, Lechku!" Issun commented. "And look! Isn't that Oki?"

"At last . . . At last I have you cornered! I'm going to finish you off this time," the man Issun had called Oki said. "Kutone shall blaze silver once more!" Why was he so intent on killing these demons? That sword of his, Kutone . . . It will only awaked when . . . He looked about ready to attack both the demons at once, which would be almost certain suicide.

"No, Oki! Don't!" Issun said, voicing the thoughts of both Amaterasu and Shiranui.

"This is what separates a hero from the rest! You are about to witness history in the making! Kutone, trusty sword of the great hero Oki, shall awake!" Oki said, shifting into wolf form. _How arrogant_, thought Shiranui.

He charged forward to attack, but Shiranui stopped him. Though she didn't like him too much, he was Amaterasu's friend, which made him her friend. And she wasn't about to let any friend of hers to get killed on her watch.

The two owl demons, through some kind of mysterious magic, freeze time. Everything stopped, just like before. Except now Shiranui can't move, either.

"Hm? Grr!" Oki growled as he struggled to move. "You . . . demons . . . Curse you!"

One of the owls raised its weapon, ready to strike the final blow. Shiranui, through sheer willpower alone, broke free of the time spell and knocked Oki out of the way, receiving the fatal blow meant for him. In one last act of defiance, she lashed out at both demons, becoming a blur of white light as she did. But in doing so, she sent herself flying, almost falling off the edge of the cliff. She was instantly reminded of that time on the Celestial Plain, when she sent herself off the edge of the Celestial Plain to kill Orochi. But now, instead of Waka hanging on to her, Amaterasu caught her, just barely holding on. Amaterasu struggled to pull Shiranui up.

"Now's the chance! I can finish them off!" Oki said. With the damage Shiranui was able to do, he could easily deal the killing blow.

"C'mon, Ammy!" Issun rooted her on while pulling futilely on her tail to try and help. "Pull! Just a little more!"

Then an alarming crack could be heard. A nearby tree was falling . . . right where Shiranui and Amaterasu were. Shiranui closed her eyes, bracing herself for death.

But nothing happened. Oki had sliced the tree in two, letting the demons get away to save Shiranui.

"Oki! Your sword!" Issun cried.

"Hm?" Oki examined his sword, which had started glowing silver. "Kutone . . . It's glowing silver! By the great spirits of the air, earth, and sea! I was so blind. I should have known! At last I understand. The sacred sword Kutone, defender of Kamui, could not possibly wake while the heart of its wielder was clouded with selfish desire. That is why I couldn't defend Kamui with this sword, let alone protect the lives dear to me!" He held his hand out to Shiranui, which she licked. He finally got it.

Shiranui, gravely injured by the demon, was left to be guarded by Oki, who felt indebted to her after she saved his life. She patiently waited while Amaterasu went to find those demons again. After a while, Ishaku showed up. She immediately perked up, happy to see him. Oki left after Ishaku came, but that was okay. She'd be just fine with Ishaku.

"Hey, Ammy," he said. "Man, you look pretty bad . . . You sure you going to be all right?"

"I'll be fine," Shiranui said, her voice a hoarse whisper. "I missed you."

Ishaku hopped up to her face so she could see him smile. "I know, furball. I know . . ."

o~*~o

Oki and Amaterasu returned, victorious. They defeated the twin owl demons. Shiranui noticed that his sword was glowing silver. _Finally_, she thought, mustering a smile. From this, she knew that Amaterasu would be okay. Gathering up all her strength, she heaved herself up to her feet and made her way through the gate of time made by Ishaku. She knew that she was going back to die. She knew that she had fulfilled her destiny, and she would die. But that was okay, too. Because that was the way it was meant to be. "Amaterasu . . ." she said to her future self, " . . . May you succeed in your quest. Save this darkened world with your divine light. I know you have it in you somewhere. You just have to find it."

"I will," Amaterasu said, feeling strangely sad at this departure. Well, it wasn't so strange, considering that Shiranui was returning only to die. But what exactly will she find?

Shiranui crossed the threshold of the gate, and she was back in the Moon Cave. Nagi was standing there, looking slightly surprised that she had helped him. Yes, she was back. Nagi gently scooped her up in his arms and took her back to the village.

Waka knew. Ishaku knew. They both knew that Shiranui was going to die, yet they were still sad. Waka was particularly upset. When he first had the vision of her dying, it had brought him to tears. He's known Shiranui her entire life. He loved her. Ishaku only knew because Waka told him, and that was because he was Shiranui's friend, so he deserved to know.

Nagi laid Shiranui down beneath one of the sakura trees. She wasn't moving anymore. The village elder, Mr. Grapefruit, stroked her fur gently. She lifted her head ever so slightly and barked a soft, frail-sounding bark.

Waka had resolved to stay strong when she died. Partially because he already knew it was going to happen, and partly because that's what she would have wanted. But Shiranui's last words caused that resolve to fall apart.

"Play your flute, Waka," she had said, her voice a soft murmur. "Like you used to . . ."

Her words brought back a wave of memories. He recollected all the good and the bad times at once. It was too much. His tears falling silently as the rain, he granted her that last wish, playing his flute for what probably would be the last time. He laced the sweet notes with his bittersweet emotions, making the music even more beautiful.

With all the strength left in her body, Shiranui managed a small smile. _I am so happy_, she was thinking, in spite of all that's happened. _Thank you, Waka_. She then closed her eyes and drifted off as if into sleep.

And the rest is history . . .

* * *

And that is that. The end . . . or is it? I _might_ write a sequel to this, _if_ you guys ask nicely. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think!


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